Right-Wing Terrorists: As Dangerous as Muslim Ones

The alleged killers in the Las Vegas massacre appear to have been motivated by right-wing ideology—they left a "Don't Tread on Me" flag at the scene of the crime—which sadly doesn't make them terribly unique. Since 9/11, right-wing extremists have killed 37 people in the US, compared to 21 killed by Muslim militants in the same time frame, Peter Bergen points out at CNN. Just how familiar have such killings become? So familiar that Bergen posted essentially the same piece less than two months ago, in response to the Jewish Community Center shootings.

Yet "it is jihadist violence that continues to dominate the news and the attention of policy makers," Bergen writes, and that "can have serious consequences." Law enforcement continually emphasizes that public vigilance can prevent attacks, but that only works if the public is cognizant of the threat—indeed, the Vegas shooters reportedly mentioned their plans to a neighbor. "Countering violent extremism cannot simply be a demand placed on Muslim communities. … Right-wing extremists have demonstrated their ability to be just as deadly." Click for his full column. (More right-wing extremism stories.)